Hey everyone - it's that time of year again already! That's right…the day that movie freaks like me have been waiting for since last year's noms announcement. Going into this morning's 5:38 PST early Hollywood wake-up call, I was rather confident that most of the nominations were a foregone conclusion. Oh well - leave it to the Academy to slip in at least one surprise in every major category. Add the virtual shut-out of personal fave "The Squid and the Whale," and the Academy has once again successfully turned me into a blithering idiot.
Enough about me (a sentence you will rarely hear from these lips!) – onto the nominations! Like last year, I will include a "Will Win," "Should Win," and "Second Place," along with my personal comments, for each category. Ooh – at the end is the chart prepared by my friend and co-worker Michelle, for those of you who enjoyed her easy guide to the nominations last year.
Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney in "Syriana"
Matt Dillon in "Crash"
Paul Giamatti in "Cinderella Man"
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain"
William Hurt in "A History of Violence"
Matt Dillon is an Academy Award Nominee, and yet not a single monkey has flown outta my butt. Odd. Seriously though – what a weird collection of nominees, though pretty much expected based on the Globes, SAG's, and other critics awards. Let's discuss in the order in which I would vote for them. Why? Because I said so!
William
Hurt. Ugh. In addition to feeling like he overacted the hell out of this one
(and stole the nomination that belonged to, say, the overdue Don Cheadle for
"Crash"), this movie is wicked overrated. Too many "overs" in that
last sentence must mean I am overHurt. No vote for you, William, nor for Matt
Dillon. See discussion-opening comment. Laugh again. Though his role was meaty,
and he was ok in it, rewarding just one actor from what was really a group effort
just seems wrong to me. Unless, of course, they had nominated Don Cheadle like
they should have!
As for "ok" performances, Clooney was just ok in "Syriana." Yeah, he gained 30 pounds and had back problems. Boo hoo – he also lost every last pound, has two other nominations this year, and is as hot as ever (career-wise and looks-wise, or so the ladies and questioning tell me). He has a shot here and actually beat Giamatti for the Globe. In addition, I actually liked the movie, though I felt it was unnecessarily complicated (the same way Bush must feel about the questions on High School "Jeopardy!"). I just don't want to see him win. That leaves me with a toss-up.
I'm going to give the second place award to Gyllenhaal, mostly because his last name is difficult for me to type. Actually, I thought he was amazing in "Brokeback," and he's turned in other excellent performances during his still "new" Hollywood career. It's just not his time yet.
That leaves the one and only Paul Giamatti, who with this morning's nom is hopefully over being snubbed last year (for the insipid "Sideways") and the year before that (for the excellent "American Splendor"). Let's face it – despite his talent, he's never going to win for a leading role because he is just too ugly. There - I have once again said what we've all been thinking. Anyway, he was as good as ever AND in a movie with Renee Zellwegger that I actually enjoyed. He should get an award for that alone!
Will and Should Win – Paul Giamatti. I think they'll reward Clooney
in the Screenplay category.
Second Place – Jake Gyllenhaal
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams in "Junebug"
Catherine Keener in "Capote"
Frances McDormand in "North Country"
Rachel Weisz in "The Constant Gardener"
Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain"
Say it with me now, "Amy Who?" That's right, though not a surprise nominee, everyone with whom I have chatted has asked the same question when it comes to this category. As one of the few who actually saw this movie, I hereby attest that she is the real deal. Plus, she's in two personal secret favorites of mine – "Psycho Beach Party" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous." Warning – both movies are actually somewhat atrocious, which for me is what makes them so good. Anywho, only slight snubs here (no Shirley MacLaine for "In Her Shoes" nor Scarlett Johansson for "Match Point") so let's get onto the discussion, again in "Who I'd Vote For" order.
Did
anyone actually see Frances McDormand in "North Country?" It's one of only
three movies mentioned in this e-mail (the others are "Hustle & Flow"
and "Mrs. Henderson Presents") that I didn't bother with in the theater.
Anyway, she's a lovely actress who should perfect her "they didn't call my name"
face in time for the March 5 awards. Same goes for Catherine Keener, who, though
excellent in "Capote," did not have a large enough role to warrant a win
here. I hope the nomination brings her many, many more roles though – love
her.
Third on my ballot is Rachel Weisz, who seems to have this one locked up after wins at the Globes and SAG's. She's good (really good), and the film was excellent, but I just can't get over the fact that she was also in the DREADFUL (and no I didn't see it) "Constantine" this year. Yuck – use a different name next time you're going to make a bad movie. Allow me to suggest use of the pseudonym "Tara Reid" (who makes her first, and likely only, appearance in this e-mail, unless we get another clothing mishap on the red carpet from her).
Wow – all this way through the discussion and Amy Adams is still left to vote for! I'll give her my second place vote, as she was infectiously excellent in "Junebug." I confess that I did not care for the film as much as the average critic did, but I defy you to not fall in love with her earnestly naïve character.
Firstly (or lastly, for you half glass empty fools), we have Michelle Williams. What a year those Dawson Creek girls have had – eh? At least one of them used her talent, rather than her brainwashed adoration of Hollywood's strangest star (I digress, but has anyone else seen the pic of Tom holding Katie's hair while she blows out the candles on her birthday cake? Controllingly priceless!) to make it big. If you have not yet seen "Brokeback," the time has come. In my opinion, though the hub-bub has been all about the men in this film, the best performance is the one given by Williams. Impressive indeed. "Jack Twist? More like Jack Nasty!"
Will Win – Rachel Weisz
Should Win – Michelle Williams
Second Place – Amy Adams
Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote"
Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow"
Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain"
Joaquin Phoenix in "Walk the Line"
David Strathairn in "Good Night, and Good Luck."
I say goodbye (to the snubbed Russell Crowe for "Cinderella Man"), the Academy says hello (to surprise nominee Terrence Howard). What a year for Mr. Howard. A virtual unknown until his role last year in "Ray," the man has been in everything this year! Could his career ascension be somehow tied to the amazing resurgence of a former co-star of his? It just seems fishy that both he and Mariah "Mimi" Carey were both in "Glitter" and went on to be the "It" people in their professions in 2005. Hmmm….anyway, he seems to be a rather odd person, based on his presentation at the SAG's and the esteemed opinion of my co-worker Valencia. My picks, in reverse order:
Alas,
Mr. Howard gets my fifth place vote, mostly because I haven't seen his performance.
Anyway, he would have had a better shot with his performance in "Crash,"
though I still think it would be tough for anyone to win from that ensemble
piece. Also going home empty-handed will be David Strathairn, who gave us an
excellent impersonation of Edward R. Murrow in the so-boring James and I both
fell asleep film, "Good Night, and Goof Luck." I hate giving awards for
impersonations. I'll save the rest of my comments on that snoozefest for later.
In the three-way race for Best Actor, Ledger comes up in third place. What surprises me most is that while "Brokeback" is a virtual shoe-in for Best Picture, I don't foresee any of it's performances taking home a bald man. And before you follically challenged folks besiege me with e-mails, I'm talking about Oscar. Anyway, Ledger should get better roles based on this performance alone.
That leaves us with two roles, both based on actual people. What's amazing about both is that each actor raises his game by giving a performance that is NOT just an impersonation of an actual person, but rather a performance that transcends beyond "what" and "who" we knew of the real person. In any other year, I would have to go with Phoenix for his portrayal of the late, great, Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line." That he is able to age the character, actually perform all of the music himself, and make us root for a person who was, at times, difficult to root for, is a testament to the performance he gave.
Unfortunately for Joaquin, it is Hoffman who gets my nod. One of our most underrated actors (i.e., at the opposite end of the Holy Hunter scale), Hoffman has turned in performance after searing performance since his break-out role in "Boogie Nights." Unlike Giamatti, he is able to get over his (lack of) looks to obtain roles that might normally go to a "better looking" actor who might be asked to just put on some pounds. His Truman Capote is amazing – THE male performance of the year. That he makes you forget he's only acting (and not actually Capote) is a feat indeed.
Will Win and Should Win – Philip Seymour Hoffman
Second Place – Joaquin Phoenix
Best Actress
Judi Dench in "Mrs. Henderson Presents"
Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica"
Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice"
Charlize Theron in "North Country"
Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line"
Ahhh….my most favoritist category. The one I wait for with baited breath every year. Unfortunately for me, this was another year in which the "best" roles went to the men. What gives, Hollywood? Only one slight surprise here – negative reviews for "Memoirs of a Geisha" handed Ziyi "I want a life that is MINE!" Zhang's sure-thing of a nomination to Keira Knightley. Let's dissect.
I'll start with Judi Dench. Could the Academy love her anymore? I swear – she would have been nominated for "Deuce Bigalow, European Gigolo" if she was in it. We all know she's got the acting "goods," but enough is enough already! At least make her work at it a bit…if they just handed these things out, Laura Linney and Julianne Moore should have won a long time ago!
Her
compatriot, fellow Brit Keira Knightley, will also go home empty-handed on Oscar
Night. She's proven to be quite a talent, and has been in everything from action
("Pirates of the Caribbean" – let's just pretend "Domino" never
happened) to dramedy ("Love Actually") to now a lighthearted period comedy.
I'll want to see something where she really stretches her acting chops a little
more before I give her my imaginary vote.
Our third foreign loser this year shall be Charlize Theron. Again, I didn't see the movie, but this one has "I made this movie so that I would be nominated" written all over it. Look – I'm a sucker for that sometimes, but when you've already won once, you've got to try a little harder than that to win me over.
So it's a two-woman race, between two veterans who have just recently hit their strides. Lady Witherspoon, please stay seated. To be honest, I can't figure out why she was even nominated. Combine that with her Globe and SAG wins, and I am further dumbfounded. Look people – her best role is, and always will be, as Tracy Flick in "Election." Anyway, she wasn't terrible in this SUPPORTING role, but she wasn't that great in this SUPORTING role either. You should be very bitter, as she gets to go home with Ryan Phillippe and you don't. Voters – you have about three weeks before the ballots are due to come to your senses.
When you do, I'm sure that you will see to it that you vote for Felicity Huffman. Yes, I'll admit that a woman playing the role of a man "transitioning" into becoming a woman is certainly the stuff that nominations are made of. But you know what? I don't care! Huffman was amazing in this little gem of a movie. For such a small movie, I was very impressed with her extremely layered performance – she truly shows us EVERY side of this character. In doing so, you not only forget that she's a "Desperate Housewife," you forget that she's a woman at all. Amazing stuff – you have 5 weeks to see it for yourself!
Will Win – Reese Witherspoon
Should Win – Felicity Huffman
Second Place – Laura Linney, who SHOULD have been nominated for her understated
brilliance in "The Squid and the Whale."
Best
Director
George Clooney, "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Paul Haggis, "Crash"
Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"
Bennett Miller, "Capote"
Steven Spielberg, "Munich"
Look – I'm just as tired as you are – ok? Bear with me.
Surprises in this category? Indeed! I picked exactly one of these nominees (Ang Lee, who will clearly win) and I've never even heard of one of them (Bennett Miller). I didn't foresee the other three, but at least I've heard of them. I guess I should have paid more attention to the Directors Guild Association (DGA) noms, as these five are the exact same five who were up for that award.
As usual, this list is also reflective of the film's nominated for Best Picture. Lemme save some time here – Ang Lee is going to win the award for Best Director. None of the other guys (where are the women????) come close.
Best Picture 
"Brokeback Mountain"
"Capote"
"Crash"
"Good Night, and Good Luck."
"Munich"
We've got some real indies here. Let's put it this way – the combined gross of these movies is approximately $185.9 million, or roughly the same amount the divorce-causing "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" made all by itself last year. The top grosser thus far, "Crash," was the 47th highest grosser of 2005, 7 places and $10 million behind "Bewitched." Even a post-nominations surge for the films still in the theaters won't bring the total anywhere near last year's total of $389.6 million. Jack did his homework – eh?
Ok – so we all know by now that Best Picture almost always coincides with Best Director…right? Hence, "Brokeback" wins in a landslide. A monumental win indeed – almost makes up for the many horrendous gay-oriented films that I have been subjected to over the past several years. Seriously….SEE THIS MOVIE. It will resonate with you for quite some time afterward. I guarantee that hearing the tell-tale guitar strums from the soundtrack will nearly bring you to tears, even 4 weeks after you've seen it!
As for the other films, they range from uneven ("Capote" and "Munich") to well-acted but overwrought ("Crash") to almost entirely unwatchable though well-directed ("Good Night, and Good Luck."). Personally, I would have dumped "Good Night, and Good Luck." for "The Quid and the Whale," "Crash" for "Walk the Line," and "Munich" for "The Constant Gardener," but what the hell do I know?
Well, I know that my time with you has come to a close. Oops – how I could I forget to plug Dolly Parton's nomination for Best Song (from "Transamerica")? Should be fun to see her stuffed into her delightfully tacky best. Look for Dolly, along with all of your favorites, at the big show on Sunday, March 5. That's all from me until my post-Oscars wrap-up on March 6. Until then – get off your butt and go see some movies!
Thanks for reading! Here's the list that Michelle put together, for your print-it-out-and-take-it-home use!
